By Dr. Howard Liebowitz
This is a great time of year to focus on a healthy diet. The holiday season is the time of year when we are bombarded with sugar. If you can make it through the holidays without getting overloaded with sugar and gaining weight, then you can do it any time of year. Sugar is pro-inflammatory. Inflammation is the cause of every disease from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, all arthritis and auto immune disease.
If these weren’t good enough reasons to avoid sugar, then remember that sugar gets converted to FAT in the body. It is stored as fat in fat cells and in the blood as triglycerides . When we gain weight, our fat cells do not increase in number, they increase in SIZE only. So if we want to lose weight, we must decrease the amount of sugar and calories so it is not deposited into our fat cells as storage.
The best way I know of assuring this is by eating the PALEO DIET. This is not a new diet. It has been around for 65,000 -70,000 years. We have just forgotten about it in modern times. So much of our food is enhanced by sugar to improve taste and therefore enhance sales of the product. You may say, “What is so special about the Paleo Diet”? Well, the reason I like it is because it makes sense to me and it works Our genetic profile was emerging and being formed in Paleolithic times. So we were designed to thrive on the food that was available at that time. There was very little sugar available then. Fruits were a fraction of the size they are now. Our fruits have been engineered to be bigger, sweeter and juicier, because they sell better. It has nothing to do with good nutrition. We do not do better or live healthier eating bigger ,juicier or sweeter food; quite to the contrary. In Paleolithic times ,there was no farming. Therefore there was no growing of wheat, milling of wheat or baking of wheat. That means we were not genetically designed to eat bread,pasta, cereal or any processed grains including oats. These grains were primarily for grazing animals, not humans. I believe we would be a lot healthier to not eat any of these grain products. And that also covers the whole range of baked goods; and you all know what that encompasses… cakes, cookies, muffins,croissants etc. If it comes in a box, or from a bakery you should skip it. It also means you do not need pasta, rice or potatoes. These are considered “High Glycemic” foods. That means they contain and transfer large amounts of sugar to the body.
This type of diet may sound extreme. But it only sounds extreme because we have become accustomed to eating poorly. We regularly and indiscriminately consume foods that are down right harmful to our health, primarily because they taste good, and for no other reason. Food is our main source of energy, vitamins,minerals, and trace elements needed for our body to function properly. Food has become ,for many of us, entertainment and a form of pleasure. We have lost sight of what food can do for us both good and bad. To attain optimal health, the first place to start is by raising our consciousness about our food. That means ,for the most part, getting back to our genetic basics.
We should be eating mostly vegetables and proteins, some fruits and nuts. If you can look at your food and it doesn’t fit into one of these categories, then you shouldn’t eat it.
Most people have no dietary guidelines. They generally eat what they like with little concern as to what effect it has on their body. The result of this low level of nutitional consciousness is metabolic damage, weight gain, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep disorders, low libido, depression, anxiety, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. etc. etc. I think you get the point. Many people I see in the office are exasperated about not being able to lose weight, sleep, or have energy. This is usually due to a lifetime of poor and indiscriminate eating habits.; too much sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Our dear, precious bodies can only tolerate so much. We are graced with an amasing capacity to tolerate a lot. We can live in all sorts of inhospitable environments, and can survive on a wide array of foods. But, to be truly healthy, we must give our bodies what they were designed to function best on. This is the Paleo Diet. Take a minute to try to imagine what food was available for man to eat 70,000 years ago, and compare that with what is on the shelves of your favorite grocery store. We have deviated quite far from healthy foods. Yet our genetic make up is identical to man of Paleolithic times. We have not begun to genetically evolve as fast as our environment and food has. There is very little we need to keep us healthy, just as there were very few food choices in Paleolithic times: plants, nuts ,seeds, fruits,fish, birds, eggs and occasionally some meat from a grazing mammal. And that was about it.
So as you gaze upon your plate this holiday season and before you put anything in your mouth, think to yourself “Was this available in Paleolithic times?” And let that be your guide if you should procede with ingesting it. Remember, after it passes your mouth, and the taste is gone, your body will be dealing with it for days, and possibly metabolically, for years. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
This information is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to treat or diagnose any health condition.